Paley Festival: The truth about Baby William and 'The X-Files' movie is out there

David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, 'The X-Files: I Want to Believe'

David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, 'The X-Files: I Want to Believe'

Hanh NguyenZap2It.com

If you want to know more about the upcoming "X-Files" movie (releasing July 25), well, the Paley Festival panel only gives a little 411. But at least there's the trailer and series creator Chris Carter giving reassurance that the film remains true to the spirit of "The X-Files" the show.

As fans know, this latest film is supposed to pick up -- chronologically at least -- where the series left off in 2002. A lawsuit got in the way, and by the time it was taken care of, the details of the original film plot that was hashed out were lost once Fox decided to revive the movie.

"The new film is a derivative of the original idea. It's the story we wanted to do," says Carter. "The movie is superior to the story we had. Six years have passed [in the 'X-Files' world]. It's true to the passage of time."

When moderator Cynthia Littleton asks the fate of Scully's son, the talented "Baby William" -- whether he's now a happy-go-lucky kid or out in a cornfield somewhere shooting laser beams from his eyes -- Carter hints about some content in the film.

"It will not go unconsidered in the movie," he proclaims cryptically.

"The film honors the work done on the series," adds writer/producer Frank Spotnitz. "It's not a mythology story, but it's true to what's come before."

Courtesy of someone with a decent camera(phone?), the Paley Fest trailer debut for the "X-Files" movie is leaked online. Those haunting notes, creepy medical experiments, a line of people in the snow, Mulder-Scully tension ... it's all there, if still unclear plot-wise.

With excitement rising, the debut of the trailer and a release date only four months away, surely there's a title?

"I can't tell you," admits Carter. "I know what I want it to be, but Fox has ideas of their own. I know what it should be."

The remainder of the evening revolves around memories of the show, its fandom and insight into how the show was run. A sampling:

Carter reveals how he got around Standards and Practices when they objected to an episode featuring a necrophilia. Carter dubbed the person a "death fetishist," and it passed muster.

Lea reveals how a seven-year-old Irish lad once gave him a letter to deliver to Mulder and Scully asking them to do something about the trouble in Ireland. A paraphrasing of the letter: "I wrote to the Power Rangers, but they never wrote back. Because you work for the FBI, maybe you can do something about it."

Carter: "I think a [creating a show bible] is self-limiting. They can give it to somebody else and then fire you. I think it's a stupid idea. We made it up as we went along."

Memories of a Flukeman (Darin Morgan): "I was offered the job because I was out of work. I said sure. I wasn't doing anything. ... First day I got the suit on Duchovny leans in to me and asks, 'Why are you doing this?' ... Once I was in [the fluke suit], it was quite simple: you can't move and that's the end of it. It's not that hard at all."

Lea: "Being on 'X-Files' ruins you a little bit. It's a like a first relationship. It's great and full and you search for that fulfillment forever after. It set a bar for me."